Warren

Ok, I got my car back today and tried to pay attention to the way I drove on the way to work. <p>1) High grabbing clutch...it's the same, but I figured it would be, as I've read the same complaint here on many new cars.<p>2) Notchiness shifting 1->2...this is a little more complicated. What I described to the dealer, and what he called notchiness (don't know for sure we were talking about the same thing) was when I shifted quickly from first to second was kind of a grinding sensation and resistance to being put in gear. If your complaint about notchiness is it feels like it goes from 1 to neutral to 2 with a pause and kind of thunking motion (don't really know how to describe it), I think that's just how the shifter is (though I drove Sharon's, and it felt much smoother than mine). This has not changed on mine. However, I tried repeating the tech guy's test (at a standstill, push in the clutch, shift into 1st or 2nd quickly) and there wasn't much resistance. I tried a few quick shifts from 1st to 2nd while driving and couldn't reproduce the grinding sensation that I had felt before (though, again, it wasn't an always thing...only sometimes would it do this).<p>I figure, at the least, I got a new clutch plate which negates most of the wear I put on it learning to drive a stick . <p>If you're in the Bay Area, I can happily recommend Anderson-Behel's service department. I feel like I'm getting better service there than I did at Carlsen (though I only took my car to Carlsen once), from a customer service standpoint...the techies, I don't really have any complaints at either dealer, though I was surprised that the techie at A-B took the time to go on a ride with me. They're not perfect (one issue I brought up they claimed to fix, but haven't but it's minor), but I've never received such curteous service at a service dept before. <p>Warren<p><br>

John

You might read the cover story of the November issue of Car and Driver comparing the 328i BMW to the A4 2.8 Quattro (both manual transmission).<p>They rank the shifter of the Audi as better than that of the BMW, although they rank the BMW overall a winner in the face off (by one point!)<p>You may have received a car with a defective transmission (unlikely, in my mind) or you may have inadvertently damaged the synchro gears. I'd have that possibility checked out if you haven't already.<p>Hard to diagnose without shifting the car myself, but what I surmise from your description of the problem, it's the synchro mechanism that's not working right.

KostaT

It is supposed to work wonders on shifter smoothness over the standard transmission fluid.<p>Kosta

Dale B

The Trans. Fluid (Manual) is Already Synthetic From the Factory!

StephanS

I had this problem as well. I have driven a 5 speed all of my driving life so I assumed that something was wrong with the car. There was, the transmission had to be replaced after the service department had the Audi rep drive it. It seems that this is not that uncommon of a thing. Motor Trends long term test A4 had to have its tranny replaced too. Hope this is not the case with yours, but if you keep hearing/feeling the grinding have the local Audi rep called in to check it out. If you wait until your warrenty is out it will run you about $12,ooo! Yes the having the transmission replaced costs twelve grand!

Dale B

Eventually Audi will have remanufactured transmissions instead of just the new ones. The new ones are what they use under warranty, and the prices tend to be ficticious and no real money changes hands (Audi reimburses the dealer, and it costs Audi nowhere near 12K for the trans.) Also, at some point (if not already), internal parts, such as syncros will become available. Mark Burns of Clair Audi posted some info a few days ago regarding Audi parts prices in response to a note that I sent to him.<p>

DaveN

I also have had this notchy feeling from first to second, and sometimes from second to third. I have altered my shifting style somewhat and it has gotten much better. What I think might be happening is close to redline the 1.8T engine likes to hang onto revs, and the only thing that will separate the clutch from the flywheel is the speed difference when the engine slows down. So what I do is let the engine drop a few hundred rpm before I finish pulling the lever into gear (instead of pulling in one motion I slow at the gate and then finish pulling). Now for my question, does this seem probable, in which case that's the way it is, or should I stop compensating for the car and get the dealer to look at it?